USA! USA! USA!

I'm surprised they didn't disallow the goal, ruling Dempsey offside.

Holy S**t! That was the best, most emotional game I've ever seen!

• USA Win? CHECK.
• USA Win in most dramatic way possible? CHECK.
• Improbably winning our group over England? CHECK.
• Advancing to a sugary sweet draw in the round of 16 (Ghana, then Uruguay/S. Korea)? CHECK.

I can't say enough about this team. First, you have that amazing comeback against Slovenia that really should've been a win. Then we almost go down early, again, against Algeria only to see another perfectly good goal disallowed. But the team kept their wits and Donovan, a player who as recently as this time last year I despised but who I have grown to love since, came through just before the final whistle.

Special props to Bob Bradley who made some gutsy calls today. Dropping Onyewu to make way for Bornstein? Paid off. And then he left nothing in the tank, bringing on all offense as the game wound down searching for the winner. Hard to believe, but he has outcoached every opponent we've faced. I know I've given him a lot of grief over the years, but... well played, sir!

Now I just need to get my game jersey washed before Saturday after soaking it in sweat today. Payback is a bitch, Ghana!

Group C Breakdown

Big day today. BIG day for US soccer. The US takes on Slovenia at 10AM, and I know I'm taking off work to watch the most important game for the US in the World Cup. I think you should too. But let me explain why it's so important for us.

All good World Cup teams, upon reaching the World Cup Finals (WCF), know how important it is to get a good result in the first game. In the last 3 WCF, only 3 of 36 teams losing their first game qualified out of their group. The US pulled off a stunner by tying England, and that was absolutely HUGE! Here's why:

If the US and Slovenia tie today, the US gets to play Algeria in it's last game, and Algeria is not very good. Slovenia, conversely, has to play England, who is pretty good (except for their goalies). In the third game, both the US and England are favored to win. If this happens, the US will have 5 pts (1 win, 2 ties) and Slovenia will have 4 pts (1 win, 1 tie, 1 loss) and the US goes through with England (2 wins, 1 tie). We would then get absolutely destroyed by Germany.

A tie today is nothing to get upset about - but it would mean we'd need to beat Algeria, and score some goals in doing so. If the US, Slovenia, and England tie each other, and all beat Algeria each would end up with 5 pts. Determine 1st and 2nd place in the group would go down to goal differential. Therefore, the US would need to beat Algeria by at least 2 goals (since Slovenia only won 1-0). Having all three teams tie is not an unlikely scenario, because teams in the WCF play "not-to-lose" soccer. That's how Italy won it all back in 2006 in Germany. However, I don't see England tying Slovenia. I think both teams play that game to win.

A loss today wouldn't eliminate the US entirely, but it would come pretty close, and we'd have to count on a LOT of variables to go through, which are pretty unlikely (i.e. England tying Algeria and losing to Slovenia).

It's going to be a good game today, I hope. And I also hope the US wins, since that puts us in the driver seat. Heck if we win today and against Algeria, we can win the group and avoid playing Germany entirely! Yeah, we'll probably play Ghana or Serbia, but we'd have a chance against them! So get out your flags, find your local bar, and go cheer on the Yanks as we play a big match against Slovenia!

Ugh

The first game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup hasn't even started and I'm already sick of the EA Sports FIFA 2010 commercials.

"Ohhh ohhhhhhh oh oh oh..."

I'm gonna be singing that shit in my head for the next month. Die, EA Sports!

Nevermind...

Remember this post I made a few months back? Well, let me go ahead and remove my foot from my mouth to say I take it back. I take it all back. Sorry, Apple...

I had the chance to play with an Android device quite extensively this past week. And it didn't leave me with a great taste in my mouth. In fact, it left me very much appreciating what I have with my iPhone.

It's not that Android is bad, per se, but it reminds me very much of Ubuntu Linux. Ubuntu is a great OS, but pales in a usability comparison to OS X or Windows 7. There are just things that both of those latter OSes have learned and implemented over time that make them a much more pleasant experience. That's how I see Android at this stage in the game. It's nice, and it gives you some much appreciated freedom, but it's no match for the veterans.

With a computer you may be willing to make some compromises for your freedom, because working in that environment is a not a big deal if you know what you're doing. All the tools and software you need to tinker are provided. Not so in the mobile world. Although you are free to tinker, you'll be voiding warranties on your device. Also, doing the tinkering is much more difficult because the environment just wasn't made to do that. You tinker and you brick your phone and you're done. No reinstalling the OS.

In the end, I learned to appreciate what I have in the iPhone. At the end of the day, it's a phone first and a device second. If I can't install PostgreSQL or download apps with *ahem* questionable content, I guess that's a sacrifice I can make for a phone that I don't have to swear at.

UPDATE (6/11): So it seems that Motorola's co-CEO has promised a 2GHz Android super phone by year's end that will make iPhone 4 look like two cans attached by a piece of string. I guess I'll just upgrade my 3GS's OS in a couple weeks then continue to hold off to avoid buyer's remorse. Seriously, with the way manufacturers are upping the ante with their devices combined with the draconian contracts that wireless companies make you sign and nobody is going to upgrade their device for fear that it will be obsolete in two weeks. It's like Moore's Law on steroids...

Copa Mundial

All the recent developments as teams make final preparations for the World Cup in South Africa have prompted me to make my World Cup analysis post. I have been cautiously optimistic about America's chances this year, and I think you will share my optimism after this analysis.

First, things first... England. We play them first on June 12. That helps, as England usually starts slow. 2006 was a 1-0 win against Paraguay. 2002 was a draw with Sweden. Also, England's captain Rio Ferdinand hurt his knee today and is out of the Cup. He is their stopper. That helps. Jozy Altidore is also nursing a sprained ankle, but he should be fine for the opening match. I think this match is the key to our World Cup, and we better come out strong!

Next, Group C. USA got it's best draw EVER in the World Cup. The top side is obviously England. After that, with Algeria and Slovenia, USA automatically is favored to be runner-up in the group. However, I think we have to win the group to have any real chance to make a run in the knock-out rounds. Can we do it? Well, a strong start against England is a must. But we have to beat Algeria and Slovenia too. I think we should expect that.

So why is it so important to win Group C? Because if we are runners-up, we lose in the second round. Check out the bracket above. Group C runner-up takes on the winner of Group D. Think we have any chance of beating Germany? Me neither. So we look much better taking on the runner-up of Group D, maybe Ghana or Serbia. That puts us in a winnable quarterfinal game against overrated France. If we make it to the semis, I call it a rousing success.

So the bottom line is, our first game against England is the key to our fortunes in South Africa. A win sets us up to make a run at the semi-finals. A loss will not end our hopes of advancing, but will surely lead to an early exit in the knock-out rounds.